While Anne Brontë struggles to write one last novel as she dies from tuberculosis, her sister Charlotte must choose between protecting her pride and fulfilling Anne's dying wish.

The Brontë sisters have become legends for their outstanding works of fiction, and for their tragically short-lived lives. Charlotte shot to fame with the publication of Jane Eyre. Emily has been celebrated for her masterwork, Wuthering Heights. Yet Anne Brontë, the youngest of the three sisters, remains the least well known and the least celebrated.

In her short life, Anne wrote dozens of poems and two novels. Her second novel, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, shook Victorian society with its feminist overtones and was a massive best-seller. Considering the prolific literary career Anne achieved before dying at the age of 29, why has she become such a niche writer while her sisters remain two of England's most famous authors? 

The Death of Anne Brontë seeks to answer this question by exploring the relationship between Anne and her sister Charlotte. Anne was much more liberal than her sisters were, as evidenced in her writing. Anne’s feminist themes in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall disturbed Charlotte and she wrote of her distaste of Anne’s novel in letters to friends. In fact, following Anne's death, Charlotte took actions that ultimately degraded Anne’s legacy as a writer. Yet Charlotte also deeply loved her sisters and took it upon herself to care for Anne throughout her illness with tuberculosis.

While seeking to bring attention to Anne’s achievements, The Death of Anne Brontë aims to portray the Brontë sisters as real women who were as brilliant as they were complicated.

The overall vision for The Death of Anne Brontë will portray the Brontë sisters as the real and flawed women that they were in life while highlighting the nuance and complexity of their relationships with one another. The Death of Anne Brontë is, at its core, a family drama set in Victorian England. To achieve our vision, we will film in locations that best exude the mid-19th century, build costumes, and style the cast’s hair and make-up accordingly. 

On a cinematic level, you will be immersed in the grim reality in which Anne and her sisters lived their lives and that inspired the tone of their novels and poetry. This is a period drama stripped of the glitz and glamour typically associated with the genre. The Death of Anne Brontë will be steeped in reality, painted with muted earth tones colors and exude an overall moody atmosphere.

Making a movie, whether a short or feature, is an ambitious artistic venture and The Death of Anne Brontë is no exception. To bring Anne’s story to life we will need your help. Renting period-appropriate locations will cost thousands of dollars, building costumes from scratch will cost another several hundred, and we will pay the cast and crew for their time and talent. We need to raise over $9,000, and the budget breakdown below shows where those funds will go toward:

·  Cast and crew stipends – 35%

·  Production design – 30%

·  Costumes, and hair & make-up – 5%

·  Craft services, transportation – 6%

·  Equipment fees – 15%

·  Insurance – 4%

·  Crowdfunding fee – 5%

Any contribution, regardless of size, will help us reach our goal. Sharing our campaign and film with your close network of family and friends will also be immensely helpful. 

During the pandemic, movies and TV shows lifted our spirits while we stayed home. Yet local artists suffered a major hit as work dwindled. Now as work in the arts is resurfacing, you have the opportunity to support local filmmakers who want to share a story of one family’s resilience in the midst of a public health crisis. 

Since we’re not out of the pandemic yet, our team is committed to upholding all necessary safety measures to keep our cast and crew safe as we create The Death of Anne Brontë.

Thank you so much for visiting our campaign page. You can follow our team on social media to stay up to date on The Death of Anne Brontë. 

  @kathleen_barth_

  @vinhle.co 

  @jj_blake

In addition to making a contribution to our campaign, you can help us by spreading the word to your family and friends. We understand that you’re busy, and so we wrote something for you to copy and paste, and share on social media. Be sure to use our hashtag: #deathofAB 

Still looking for ways to recognize National Book Month? Check out this upcoming short film, “The Death of Anne Brontë”! From writer/director @kathleen_barth_ this film tells the story of Anne Brontë, the lesser known author, poetess, and genius from the legendary Brontë family. Take a closer look at the project and follow the fundraising campaign at @seedandspark #deathofAB

Check out this up and coming short film, “The Death of Anne Brontë” from writer/director @kathleen_barth_ and her amazing team of D.C. area filmmakers. This short film tells the story of the brilliant, yet forgotten younger sister of Charlotte and Emily Brontë. You can learn more about the project and the fundraising campaign @seedandspark #deathofAB